“Bmooarrr!”

“What?!”

Charging from behind me was a wild boar—massive, unlike any I’d ever seen before.

Thud thud thud

It was rushing straight toward me at a frightening speed, brandishing sharp tusks. I remembered how dangerous boars could be in my world, especially because of those tusks! At this speed, a hit from those tusks would surely cause serious injury. But I couldn’t move; my body was frozen in place, unable to take even a single step…

“It’s a wild boar. This level of threat is still too much for Roya and the others to protect against.”

“Huh?”

In a flash, Lilia moved between me and the charging boar.

“Hmph!”

“Bmoo?!”

“What?!”

With just one arm, Lilia halted the enormous boar’s charge. She staggered slightly under its force, but it was almost as if the laws of physics didn’t apply to her. It was hard to believe that such strength lay in her slender frame.

“Hup!”

“Bmooar…”

With one swift motion, Lilia deflected the boar with her right arm and sprinted toward it. In the next instant, blood sprayed from the boar’s neck. I hadn’t even seen her draw her sword, but she had already sliced through its throat.

“A-amazing! So that’s the power of a B-rank adventurer!”

“She moved too fast for me to see anything!”

“To take down a massive wild boar with a single blow…”

Finally, my paralysis faded. I’d genuinely feared for my life; the threat from the goblins was nothing compared to this. If Lilia hadn’t saved me, I would have been dead.

“Thank you, Lilia! You really saved me!”

“Don’t mention it. It’s our job as your escorts to protect you. Besides, I should earn my payment, right?”

So cool! Lilia is amazing!

“Roya, it’s hard to see well in the forest, and sometimes enemies will ambush you, just like just now. As Nicole and Fal mentioned earlier, you should never let your guard down.”

“Yes!”

“Nicole, your beast senses are sharp, but don’t rely on them too much. It’s important to stay aware of your surroundings, especially during conversations like that.”

“Understood!”

“Fal, you were the first to react to the boar’s attack. If you had your bow ready at that moment, you’d have been perfect.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Lilia continued advising Roya and the others. Not only was she strong, but she also seemed skilled at teaching. She’d make a great instructor.

“Alright, let’s take this thing to the nearby river.”

With ease, Lilia lifted the massive boar with one arm. Whether it was a skill, magic, or pure strength, it was an incredible sight.

“So that’s a B-rank adventurer… One day, I’ll…”

“So cool…”

“Ready the bow… ready the bow…”

It looked like Roya and the others were inspired by witnessing high-rank combat firsthand. And that probably wasn’t even Lilia at full power.

We moved to a river near the forest entrance, probably the same one I saw on my first day in this world. I had no idea the forest was this vast. Thinking of accidentally wandering the wrong way made me shiver.

“Mind if I leave the butchering to you?”

“Yes, of course!”

Unlike goblins, wild boars are edible, so we butchered it and planned to bring some meat back to town. Even for Lilia, butchering one-armed was challenging.

After watching Lilia in action, Roya and the others seemed even more respectful toward her. For adventurers, strength means a lot.

It was my first time witnessing an animal being butchered, and it was a bit unsettling, especially when the organs were removed. I’m really not cut out for this adventuring life.

“Alright, we should be safe now.”

“Phew… I’m so exhausted even though I didn’t do anything.”

After finishing the butchering, we buried the unusable parts and carried the meat back to the city gates.

“You kept up better than I expected. When I first saw you this morning, I thought you’d give up halfway.”

“Well…”

Though I hadn’t exercised in a while, at least all that camping came in handy. Mentally, I’ve been toughened up quite a bit—mostly thanks to a soul-crushing job…

“Are you sure you don’t want any wild boar meat?”

“Yeah, I’m staying at an inn with meals included, so I’m good.”

We decided to split the wild boar meat between Lilia and Roya’s party. They offered to give me some, but I declined since I hadn’t contributed much to the fight or butchering.

I did briefly consider taking some to cook myself, but since I’m staying at the inn and have already sold my spices, I’ll stick with street food or inn meals until I’m settled.

Roya and the others also tried to refuse the meat, saying they’d learned a lot from the quest. But since newbie adventurers often struggle financially, Lilia insisted on splitting it. With people like Lilia supporting them, it’s no wonder this is a great town.